All Xerox® branded products benefit from Xerox expertise through the Xerox® Media Technology Centre (XMCTC).
The XMCTC is a high-tech Research & Development community, with labs in the US.
There, they run all our Xerox® papers through rigorous tests on Xerox® digital printers to ensure that they will not jam, or cause any trouble when printing. Each paper that carries the Xerox brand must meet Xerox own rigorous standards for quality, performance, and reliability. Through the Xerox® qualification programme, Xerox ensure development to their own specifications in terms of whiteness, thickness, roughness, cutting, curl, etc. and verify production consistency before going to market.
This is how Antalis can offer 100% Performance Guaranteed, as featured on all paper reams.
Xerox® testing processes for paper and print media are unique
With the combined knowledge of papermaking and digital printing processes, Xerox® engineers are able to ensure products are not only made to the right aesthetic properties but also have the necessary structural characteristics to function perfectly in customers’ printing equipment. Certification is not only related to specific paper or print media mills, but to particular paper machines and coaters and even defined parts of production.
Listing on the Recommended Media List (RML) and /or rating G on the Media Compatibility Matrix (MCM) can only be sanctioned after very successful results to the following steps:
- Paper and print media specifications
Each recommended grade has physical property specifications which must be respected. These include grammage, thickness, stiffness, formation, smoothness, whiteness, shade, opacity and moisture content. These not only define the look and feel but can also affect the runnability and print quality.
- Paper and print media structure
Looking further beyond these physical properties, Xerox® engineers look at the sheet structure in fine detail, including paper fibre types used, fibre orientation /alignment, filler composition, surface strength, reactivity to differing moisture content, conductivity/charging characteristics and curl behaviour. All these properties can directly affect the runnability in Xerox® and other digital printing presses They need to be optimised to guarantee consistent feeding out of the paper trays, no jamming through the machine, clean running without contamination and service issues, desired print image quality and flat sheets with minimum curl at the output of the printer.
- Intensive testing and mill inspection
Xerox® media technicians, working with both the paper mills and Xerox® printer hardware teams, can bridge the gap between papermaking and the requirements of the various printer models. Sound statistical sampling and testing is performed, with large quantities of product tested in Xerox® printers to ensure confidence and repeatability. Typically this will involve 3 separate qualification trials which need to be passed. Xerox® engineers also assess production plants quality control processes to check all the necessary monitoring and measuring procedures are in place to maintain high quality and consistency.
- Testing results
The result of all these processes is high quality media products, giving satisfaction to the printer operators, equipment service departments and final customers, every time. This allows Antalis to confidently offer a 100% Performance Guaranteed for products included in the RML and /or rated G in the MCM.
Xerox® and Xerox and Design are registered trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and other countries and are used under license from Xerox Corporation. Antalis is a trademark licensee of Xerox Corporation.